“AVP: Fire and Stone”#4 is the first “Fire and Stone” #4 that feels like a finale. In part because, chronologically, it is. But also because our characters complete their arc in this series, and because of just how awesomely action packed this issue is. If you were left unfulfilled by the “Aliens” and “Prometheus” endings, fear not. This is the (soft) conclusion you’ve been waiting for.
WRITTEN BY: Christopher Sebela
ART BY: Ariel Olivetti
PUBLISHER: Dark Horse
PRICE: $3.50
RELEASE: January 14, 2015
Reviewed By Eric Switzer
Though we still have “Predator” #4 and “Omega” to look forward to, this issue offers a satisfying conclusion to the Elden and Francis’ story: Francis, as you may have suspected, passes the accelerant through Elden and then into himself and mutates into a hulking cancer monster. Watching the father and son team dismember the accelerated Predator is a fine reward for reading this far, and witnessing Elden send Francis off gently into that good night is both cathartic and somewhat complicated. Elden has become a really fascinating victim in the vein of Roy Batty, a fellow android just as complicated and, in many ways, endearing. I have empathy for Elden, and I find the fact that a character like Elden, who is so utterly other, is relatable to be astonishing.
I think what we have ultimately learned from this series is that the accelerant is not something to be fucked with. There is no amount of filtering, transferring, or manipulating that can make this stuff anything other than monster juice. In fact, the more you mess with the stuff the more potent and horrifying it seems to become. Why all these different characters see it as a cure or an answer and not a weapon is beyond me. Perhaps it is the allure of power that twists their minds, like the One Ring or the Phoenix Force.
This will certainly be coming to a head between Elden, Galgo, Angela, and the Predator in the next to two issues, and you can bet they won’t all survive. My money is on the Predator killing Elden and taking his head as a trophy, and Angela taking Galgo’s beloved ship, ditching him behind in Lv-223 just as he did in “Prometheus”. The aliens will fight for Elden and and Engineer will show up at the end and vaporize Galgo. I could be completely off, and I’d be happy to be, because now that we are at the end of the timeline anything could happen. This is the climax we’ve been waiting for. If you’ve stuck with it thus far, I have a feeling the end is going to blow your socks off.
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Eric Switzer is an aspiring filmmaker and screenplay writer living in Los Angeles. His work tends to focus on the lighter side of entropy, dystopic futures, and man’s innate struggle with his own mortality. He can be found on twitter @epicswitzer or reached via email at ericswitzerfilm@gmail.com.